Conquering The Novel

Thud!— Thud!—

Ares was punching the heavy bag in his dorm room's training area, mimicking Tania's martial arts techniques while watching her tutorial on YTube.

Tania, in her video, was demonstrating the use of mana in combat. She showed how to channel mana into physical attacks, enhancing the power of punches and kicks.

And also demonstrated defensive techniques, such as creating a shield of mana to protect against enemy attacks.

Ares watched intently as Tania explained the different ways to manipulate mana and how to control the flow of energy within one's body.

He was particularly interested in the techniques of channeling mana into physical attacks, which he had never trained before.

He paused the video and practiced the movements, focusing on channeling his own mana into his punches and kicks. And while doing so, he was able to feel the energy flowing through his body, increasing the strength of his strikes.

Crackling!— Cracking!—

He continued to watch the tutorial, taking notes on the various techniques Tania demonstrated, and practicing them on the heavy bag.

As he trained, he imagined himself in a real fight, using his mana to strike with precision and power, and defend himself from enemy attacks.

He knew that mastering the use of mana in combat would make him even more formidable.

Thud—thud—thud

He was training with intensity, striking the heavy bag with powerful punches. The bag was enchanted for added durability, but couldn't withstand the force of his strikes for long.

With one final punch, the bag burst open, sending pieces of leather and filling flying everywhere.

Thudding!—

"Fuuuu!"

Ares let out a deep breath as he took a break from his training. He wiped the sweat from his face and took a sip from his water bottle.

"I didn't know you had a recording of that Ayla girl collaborating with that beastman," Irethiel, who had been watching Ares train while eating snacks spoke up.

She didn't really want to watch him train, rather wanted to watch animes, but Ares won't let her.

Ares looked over at the trash can that was beside the bench Irethiel was sitting on and pointed to it. "You mean that crystal ball in the trash?"

!?

Irethiel's eyes followed his gesture, and when she saw the crystal ball that Ares had used to blackmail Ayla, now discarded in the trash, she was dumbfounded.

"I didn't have any recording. I just had a hunch that it was her, as Zerix is not capable of such plots.

I confronted Ayla with a fake crystal ball recording just to see her reaction. But she eventually confessed to being behind everything," Ares explained as he sat on a bench, holding his water bottle.

"I see. And what about working with her in the future? I thought you hated her," Irethiel asked.

Ares let out a chuckle. "Working with her? Hell no. Do you think I can trust someone who manipulates her own brother? I admire her intelligence, but she's not trustworthy enough to work with.

We'll only be operating together in the upcoming tournament. I don't trust her, and I'm sure she feels the same way about me," he said, getting up from the bench and leaving the training area.

"It's like two devils working together with no trust in each other," Irethiel muttered to herself.

***

Next Day ~

The news of the end of a long-running faction war between the third-year faction leaders, Erina and Zerix, had spread throughout the Soreh Academy.

Everyone had seen the images of Zerix's brutally beaten face online, which was uploaded by Diana at Ares's request. And had come to the conclusion that Erina and her faction were the victors.

They were now excited to see her face off against Ares in the representative selection.

However, Erina's post on her social media account caused a stir, as she announced that she would not be fighting Ares for the representative position and instead, would be working with him. She also thanked Ares for his help, referring to him as a friend.

Erina's post:

[To all my friends and followers, I have an important announcement to make. After much thought and consideration, I have decided not to fight Ares for the representative position for the upcoming tournament.

Instead, I will be working with him to represent Soreh Academy.

I have come to know Ares as a friend and I have faith in his abilities. I believe that we will make a great team and I am excited to see what we can accomplish together.

I would also like to thank Ares for his help and support during the faction war. #Teamwork #RepresentativeSelection #SorehAcademy.]

...

The post created a frenzy all over the continent, as it confirmed that Ares would be the representative for Soreh Academy in the upcoming tournament.

This also meant that Prince Claude, Princess Erina, Princess Diana, and Princess Livia would be working under him.

Later, the official Soreh Academy social media account officially affirmed Ares being the academy's representative for the upcoming tournament, and also announced that Prince Aretrus and Prince Zerix would not be able to participate in the tournament due to their injuries.

The Official Soreh Academy's social media post:

[Dear students and followers, we are proud to announce that Ares has been selected as the representative for Soreh Academy in the upcoming tournament.

We believe that he has the skills, determination, and leadership to lead us to victory. We would also like to inform you that Prince Aretrus and Prince Zerix will not be able to participate in the tournament due to their injuries. We wish them a speedy recovery.

Let's support our representative and show the world the true strength of Soreh Academy. #RepresentativeSelection #SorehAcademy #Victory.]

This caused a huge buzz on the internet, as it was only the second time ever that a first-year student was selected as a representative.

Ares' name was already trending due to his mysterious gate incident and now, his selection as the representative added to it.

His name was now well-known even among famous and powerful individuals, who were curious about his strength and what he was truly capable of.

Now, his social media account was growing rapidly and had surpassed Mika and Tania's account, nearly tied with the person who holds the record of being the youngest transcended being and one of the most followed individuals.

***

Ares' Representative Speech ~

Ares stood on a stage in front of a microphone, facing the students from the first, second, and third years who were participating in the upcoming tournament.

He began by addressing the crowd,

"As you all have heard, I will be representing Soreh Academy in the upcoming tournament.

As the leader of our team, it is important for me to ensure that we all work together cohesively.

I understand that some of you may not like me personally, but during the tournament, I expect all of you to listen to my commands and follow them closely.

I hate losing, and anyone who fails to comply with my orders will face the consequences."

There was a murmur of chatter throughout the auditorium as the students listened to Ares. He then continued,

"I will be away from the academy for a period of time, focusing on my own training, and while I am away, I will be appointing student leaders to manage each year's students.

Starting with the third years, I am appointing my dear friend Erina as the leader for the entire third-year class."

!?

Erina was surprised by this development and was not expecting this responsibility.

Ares then announced, "Furthermore, I appoint Diana as the leader for the second-year students and Ayla as the leader for the first-year students."

The crowd was not against Diana being the second-year student's leader but was surprised when Ares named Ayla as the leader for the first-year students, as they were expecting Livia to be chosen.

But since Livia is temporarily absent from the academy, the students assumed Ares would select another strong candidate, such as Claude or Lucas.

Ares then firmly stated, "My decisions are final, and I would rather not hear any objections. If someone does not understand my instructions or has any concerns, please come and speak to me directly.

I want to make sure that we are all on the same page and working towards a common goal."

The whole auditorium went silent as no one wanted to object or go against Ares.

They knew Ares is not the type to listen to their concerns and just said it for a show.

'If you lot can't understand it the simple way, I'mma make you understand it the hard way,' that's what they deduced from his remarks.

Gulp—

They all nervously swallowed, imagining the anger he would display.

Ares nodded in satisfaction as he observed the students' faces before concluding his speech by saying,

"Good. I hope the respective leaders play their roles properly, and we can all work together effectively to achieve our goal of winning the tournament."

With that, Ares stepped down from the microphone and exited the auditorium, and the crowd quickly dispersed.

***